Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-15
down TO DEATH.
Continued from First Page.



conductor.
EFF. PALELo, section man.
All the above named were taken TO the
hospitals.
A REVIEW OF TUE WRECK.
The wreck as it lies makes more ap-
pslling ruin than that OF any recent dis
aster. At DeeTfeld, White River juno
ton and other scenes Of horror, ire
wiped out all ruins that were not indie
structible, but not so this time. There
lies great trough nearly filled with torn,
twisted, crushed, splintered railroad
property. An adequate description OF
the shapeIess mass is simply impossible.
OF the nine cars which formed the train
four are in the cut. The first lies minus
it's truck near the track, about 400 feet
from the nearest bridge abutment. 1t
was the near truck Of this car that went
wrong first, but the occupants were not
hurt, being only shaken up.
Just back of this car Is No. Is, the sec
Ond car of the train. This was swept
from the trucks and its rear was crushed
in by the car following.
Car No. 28, the third one of the train,
is on the embankment, badly demorallZed.
The passengers IN this car were badly
shaken up, but there were no serious
casualties among them. This car lies
partly on it's side, about 100 feet from
the c1asm.
Next came car No. 81. 1t is doubtful
if anyone escaped from this car alive.
The bridge entirely gave away be-
fore it reached the inward side,
but the momentum of the train
and the strength of the couplings carried
it nearly over the chasm. 1t dropped Just
before it reached the a5utment and the
body of the car dashed against the solid
stone wall. The car was
LITERALLY GROUND TO PIKCEs
and bits of wood, iron and human bodies
were streWn or the road beneath form
ing the foundation of the wreck. Those
who examined the wreck could find
no distinct trace in the ruins of this car
which could be identified. The cars
which lie in the chasm form pile Of
Wreckage 400 feet long by 100 wide.
Most of the casualties were in cars 81,
so and "a, respectively the fourth, fifth and
sixth on the train, and the first, second
and third of those which went into the
chasm.
Car No. 81 lies in a heap of spIinter5
with the sides and roof broker in. The
stove did not break from its tastenings,
but was broken above the CRATE. The
fire, however, was eXtinguished.
Car No. 80 lies pa tly on car No. "a,
unrOofed and with every seat gone. Sew
eral of the killed and wounded persons
were taken from this car. This stove re-
NAMED firmly fixed and no fire escaped.
| Car No. 81 is practically demolished,
while No. 90 lies almost intact upon the
ruins. Many persons were injured in
these cars, but few killed.
| Back of them is the upturned wreck of
the smoking car, only corner OF which
remains. The car Whirled upside down
as it half fell from the embankment.
scarcely any of its occupants escaped III
! Jury, and Policeman Taylor and one or
TWO others were killed. The bridge
where the accident occurred was built in
JlIy, 1876. It was lO4 feet in length,
twenty feet in height and spanned
! the road, resting on heavy
stone walls. The grade OF
the road is very heavy and there is sharp
curve where the bridge crosses the high
way. The latter runs dlagonsliy under
the bridge and the abutments upon which
| the structure rests are set at sharp
angles. Mr.. Manly of the city engineer 5
office made q careful inspection OF
the bridge soon after it had fallen. He
said there was 10 apparent reason for its
giving way or for the breaking Of the iron
work. 1t seems as if some force Lad
drawn it forward and thrown it from its
| bearings.
D.L. Davis of the Boston and Provi
dence Railway, considered one Of the
| best railroad men in the cOuatry, express
ed q similar opinion.
Mr. Blaisdell, who was crossing from
the first to the second car just as the
train struck the bridge, says ne observed
q broken Journal hanging down. This
would account for carrying the whole
bridge off the abutments. a bad flaw has
been found near the end Of a tWelveinch
truss which rests few feet above the
debris. 1t shows q diagonal fracture oil
the iron twelve inches long, of which
eight inches is black with rust, while the
rest of the fracture is fresh.
Engineer White says in going across
the bridge he felt a shock which he
thought might have been caused by q
broken axle This. however, could no;
possibly have been the first cause OF the
accident, for the trucks of the first two
cars are in good condition. Except 8;
regards the point above mentioned, the
only remair ing possible cause IS a broken
rail. 1t is doubtful if any examination
on this point would result satisfactorily,
for there are many OF them twisted and
broken. The scene at the bridge shortly
after the disaster was heartrending. In
one place seven bodies taken out were
PLACED IN vROw.
All were badly maDgled. Large nun
bers of women were on the train and
many were to be seen in the ruins cut
completely in two, the upper half only
being found. Two men who were saved
had their faces hacked and the lips OF one
were cut OFF.
1t has been impossible to obtain g cor
rect and complete list Of the killed and
wounded, owing to the fact that immedi
ately after the catastrophe occurred its
victims were hastily removed from the
scene and in such widely different direc-
tions that it is extremely difficult
to trace them correctly. Agents OF
the railroad company are now diligently
at work endeayoring to complete the sta
tistics of the calamity, and a full list OF
the casualties will be furnished at the
earliest practicable moment. All day 8
large corps Of surgeons have been al
work attending the injured, who are
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